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The light is on when he pushes through the trees, emanating from the top-left window of their little house. A soft, muted yellow, not unlike the color of his partner’s optic - it might be on purpose, since they’re the one who keep it on. The only guide of this dark hour, making sure their Angel returns safe and sound. He is more grateful for it than they can imagine.
A small smile appears on his face. Seeing the light on fills him with renewed energy, the last push needed to reach the door’s threshold and stumble in. How he had missed this, he thinks and looks around the small entrance hall.
No one is there to greet him. He doesn’t mind. He needs time to wind down before he goes greet his mate, anyway. It’s been days. A shower would do him good.
His body and wings ache, tired from the amount of travelling and burdened by the weight of the carried bags. Most of the items inside are regular necessities. Long-lasting food, medicine, some repair tools - but a closer look inside reveals more peculiar things, such as colorful children’s books, plushies and clothes sized for someone, much, much smaller than Gabriel or his Machine are. It’s mainly for those that he left.
What he can, he puts away neatly. What he cannot, he leaves in the bag, to be brought upstairs after. A light meal and shower later and finally, he can see the one so dear to his heart.
V1 is sleeping when he comes to their room.
They usually are, lately. In these later months, they’re too tired to do much of anything else and Gabriel is honestly glad that for once, they listen to their own needs. Curled up in the nest they made together, it’s quite a sight to behold; the Warmachine that took out half of Hell, so peaceful, so quiet. Lying on their side, tail wrapped around their large belly…the poor thing can barely keep their knees bent, with how it’s in the way. Gabriel whines quietly and comes closer. He'd rather let him sleep, but he promised to let V1 know when he's back. He always does.
“My star, I’m home…” he mutters with a kiss to his head, wings already gaining on that telltale yellow-blue tint. Not a day goes by where they don’t. His happiness is visible to all of the world, dead as it may be.
The Machine stirs and opens his eye almost immediately, whirring lowly. The shine of his optic is low and his shutter is half-lidded, but Gabriel still sees the little heart forming as soon as they catch sight of him.
He’s brought down onto the bed and in a matter of seconds, his lap is full of a heavily pregnant Machine - his partner, his husband, his mate, his Vee. They both coo and begin nuzzling each other.
"Everything alright...? Was the blood enough?" Gabriel begins asking immediately. Whenever he goes out, he always makes sure to leave behind a good amount of full blood bags for V1 to use. Generally, the Machine could go days without refuelling, unless they were hurt in a fight. But with another passenger inside them making use of that fuel, he'd rather be safe than sorry. Even if V1 always reminded him that they could still hunt an animal if needed, that he always gave more than needed. The same happens now. Gabriel is just glad his worries stay only in his mind.
“I missed you,” V1 whispers, a little staticky. Happy little chirps sound of their voicebox and their claws knead gently into his skin.
“I missed you too,” he sighs. “But I will stay with you now till they arrive, I promise. I doubt there is more for me to scavenge anyway.”
V1 tilts their head, then looks to the side. The things they made and gathered, all for the welcome of a new family member, the humans might have deemed excessive. But there is no one else left to share this with, no one but them to make use of such relics. If it means that their little one might be just a tiny bit happier, then their efforts were all worth it.
He turns back and presses his bezel to the Angel’s lips. A short zap of electricity passes between them. He hums. ”The baby missed you too, you know.”
Gabriel chuckles, face wings fluttering in delight. He tries to pretend it doesn’t affect him much.
“I know you did, but you can’t know for the baby, my sweet…”
“I can feel them kick, dove. They always get worked up when they don’t hear your voice for a longer while.”
As if on cue, his optic narrows into what Gabriel recognizes as a wince. A press closer from the Machine reveals the problem - small, but rough kicks can be felt from their stomach, even to Gabriel. He gasps quietly.
“See?” V1 grumbles and nuzzles his face closer, sighing. The kicks continue.
“Well, I’m here now.” Gabriel is quick to place his hand on their belly, rubbing soothingly. “I’m here with you both and I’m not leaving, alright? No need to make a fuss…”
Gabriel keeps speaking. About what he and V1 have prepared for them. What they found, what they made. How they’ll have so much to look at and play with. The movements don’t stop, but they calm, at least. Become gentler, more purposeful. Listening to the Angel’s words. V1 stares down, tail flicking idly.
“A little fighter, aren’t they?” he comments quietly.
“Might be genetic,” Gabriel chuckles and presses a loving kiss to his face. “Hard to say from who, though.”
“Yea, but I definitely know who the size is from,” V1 nudges his shoulder, then groans and flops further onto him.
“Seriously. Are all Angel babies this big, or just yours?”
“Well, I mean- I…Angels in general are a lot bigger than you, Vee. And I’m…bigger than most of them…” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. It’s something they talked about before, realizing that their size difference might cause problems down the line. But V1 was adamant about being able to handle it, and while they like to complain, so far they’ve been right. Carrying a child of such size isn’t easy, but a few back aches won’t stop them.
Even so, Gabriel wishes that the little one would be….well, little. Curse his Archangel genes. He lets out a sad chirp. “I’m sorry it brings you so much trouble….I admire you so much, you know?”
There he goes again with that sentimental tone of his and the Machine perks up, ready to counter it. He has to quickly lean up and quiet him with a kiss so he doesn’t delve into another monologue about their greatness and perfection - not like they don’t enjoy it, far from it. It’s just that now, they’re too tired even for this.
“Gabriel. I’m happy.”
Two simple words. That’s all it takes for his Angel to relax, to bring out a stupidly adoring smile on his face. He nods. Sometimes, he just needs a reminder. That V1 chose this, willingly, enthusiastically even. That they don’t regret it, they want it, with him. More than anything.
“Then that is all I really need,” Gabriel replies quietly, peppers kisses across V1’s face and neck. A quiet moment just for them, alone in the world. But not for long, they think excitedly.
The child kicks again, as if somehow sensing what their parents are thinking about. Both look down in amusement.
“Have you thought of a name yet?”
V1’s lower shutter rises to signify a smile. Oh, has he! It’s a great one. Fitting one.
“I’m partial to Gabriel Junior myself.”
Silence. Gabriel’s expression does this weird thing where it looks like he doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He’s probably trying to parse if V1 is serious.
He is. Completely. Absolutely, 100 % serious. It’s a good name, what’s the problem? He stays very still and blinks back slowly at his mate.
“....any other options come to mind?” the Angel asks meekly, face wings flicking.
“Well, V1 Junior could be nice too, but it feels kind of egotistic. Or maybe Child. Clear and straight to the point.”
Gabriel looks pained. Extremely so.
V1 can’t pretend anymore and bursts into laughter, mechanical and beepy and so very him. Gabriel groans in exasperated relief.
“You are terrible, my star.”
“Humor is in my code, dove. Can’t help it.”
“I hope that whoever coded this into you has long been suffering in one of Hell’s layers.”
V1 has another fit of laughter, tail whipping around in joy. Gabriel rolls his eyes and lets himself be teased further, about how he looked, how good of an actor V1 is. In the end, they once again return to rest in the middle of their nest, limbs entangled. They’re as close as they can get with V1’s stomach in the way.
“....I like Io.”
V1 blinks up at the quiet sentence. Gabriel is staring at their bump, lost in his own little world. They follow his gaze and think.
Somehow, it feels right. Their voicebox makes a happy little chirp and they lovingly nuzzle under the Angel’s chin.
“Yea….I like it too.”